Blogosphere Kindess, Pt. 1

I need to start this post with a disclaimer that I realize this post is excessively delayed. For that, I apologize.

When I started this blog, I didn’t really know what to expect. Yet, given my complete lack of expectations, I have not ceased to be amazed by various aspects of blogging. I am amazed that I am still posting. I am amazed that people are actually reading this blog. I am amazed that people are reading this blog more than once (as evidenced by the readers who have left many comments over a long time span). But of all the amazing things, the one that has amazed me the most is the kindness found in the card collecting hobby, especially within the blogosphere.

I admit that I don’t engage in many trades. It’s not because I’m a smug and bitter old man, but rather because I just don’t put forth the effort to gather cards other bloggers would enjoy, ask for mailing addresses, and then ship out the packages. What can I say, I’m lazy. Perhaps that is why the few packages I have received have been such a great surprise. Why would other people bother to take the time to send me cards when I may not ever return the favor? Again, not out of selfishness or a lack of gratitude, just a plain abundance of laziness.

One recent (and I use the term “recent” VERY loosely) such package came from Tim over at Enough Already!. A while ago, he mysteriously asked for my address because he “had something” for me. Hmmm. Kinda creepy. Kinda intriquing. Kinda awesome. A week or so later, I got a box in the mail from Tim. After I ripped off the 8 layers of bubble wrap (that man will never get bad packaging comments if he sells stuff on eBay), I pulled this out:

That’s right. He sent me an autographed picture of Troy Aikman, framed and all! Not only did he send this, he also sent me a stack of Emmitt Smith cards, many of which I did not previously have. When I thanked him for his kindness and said I had some Rodney Hampton and other various Giants cards I could send his way, he simply said, “Nothing to it Dave. I’m glad you liked it.” He explained he had sent off a TTM card and got this picture in return, so it wasn’t like he spent $150 for the autograph and then gave it away. But even with the free autograph and stack of Emmitts, he still didn’t want anything in return.

That is amazing.

Thanks again so much, Tim! I don’t know when I’ll ever get around to it, but I’ve still got some Giants cards to send your way!

Well Dave, for the past ten years I was on EBAY (Feebay) as seller id:hertz27 and had 873 perfect transactions with 100% feedback and I never charged more than 1.65 for shipping and if you bought more than one item everything was still shipped total: 1.65. I never had one complaint about shipping. I am no longer of Feebay in part to their fee’s and seller’s are getting ripped off left and right anymore. Really sad and disgusting.

I was happy just to be able to share with someone a little piece of “my heaven” so to speak. I’m glad you liked it Dave and thanks for sharing. Besides….my mother taught me to share! LOL!

Yeah, I am just getting into selling stuff on eBay as a way to try to fulfill my childhood dream of owning my own card shop. I was amazed at all the fees you have to pay and the number of buyers who expect you to practically give your cards away for free (if I was going to sell my card for $10, I would not have listed it for $50). Oh well, at the very least, it is going to clean out my closet a bit to make more room for what I really want to collect (and will make my wife happier if I can get everything into the small closet in my “man cave”).

I forgot to mention in my post that I put the Aikman auto on my wall the same day I got it in the mail. 🙂